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By Ray Hickson

It’s taken some time for trainer Keith Dryden to find the trick to honest mare Sky Diamonds and he hopes it can continue to pay off when she tackles the $50,000 Newgate Farm Guy Walter Handicap (1300m) at Goulburn on Sunday.

Trainer Keith Dryden (Pic: Steve Hart)

The six-year-old has been back with Dryden this preparation, he trained her for three starts last spring before being transferred to Brett Thompson, and posted her first win for almost three years when successful at Canberra on October 21.

“She’s super consistent, she's been unlucky a couple of times when things just haven't gone her way,’’ Dryden said.

“For some reason when she came to me she was a real nutcase in the enclosure.

“But we worked out the last couple of runs if we just take her out the gate and as soon as you get on her she relaxes a lot more.

"You're not allowed to do it in Sydney but Nash (Rawiller) rode her at Rosehill a few runs back and he got straight on and she went straight out the gate. That day she got well back from a wide gate and really got home.”

Brendan Ward was on board Sky Diamonds, $6 with TAB on Saturday, in her last start win and he retains the mount for the Guy Walter where the mare will be top weight but drops 1.5kg on her breakthrough win.

Dryden said while she will need a little luck from the outside barrier she’s not a one trick pony when it comes to racing style and just hopes Ward can find a spot.

“You can place her in the race where you want to,’’ he said.

“Some horses naturally want to go back or naturally want to go forward, we could go forward or back on her.

“She’s getting near the end of her racing career, she won’t go this year but she’ll have a spell and probably one more prep. We’ll take all the opportunities we can.”

Meanwhile, Dryden is enthusiastic about Dream Runner’s chances in Tuesday’s $500,000 Little Dance (1600m) at Royal Randwick.

The gelding, runner-up in the Wagga Cup earlier this year, came off a break to win over 1200m at Canberra before finishing down the track behind Cisco Bay in the Big Dance Wild Card at Randwick but Dryden is very forgiving of that run.

“If you have a look at his last start, where he has a duck egg against his name but he was brave all the way,’’ he said.

“Tyler (Schiller) came back and said ‘he surprised me at the furlong because he still gave a kick’.

Sky Diamonds wins at Canberra on October 21

“I’m really happy with him. I think he will run well.”

And Dryden is putting a visor on 2019 Kosciuszko champ Handle The Truth in the Fujitsu General Choisir Handicap (1100m) after a slow start put paid to his chances in the 2022 edition on Everest Day and he finished ninth behind Front Page.

“I’ve taken the pacifiers off him and put a set of visors, hopefully he will be just a little closer in running,’’ he said.

“Once we missed the kick in the Kosciuszko we were gone.”

All the fields, form and replays for Sunday’s meeting at Goulburn